This invention relates to portable cooling apparatus and more particularly to a manually operated refrigerating system which will maintain low temperatures in a food storage container and more particularly to a cooling system which compresses, cools and expands the air within the container.
Conventionally, campers maintain food in a refrigerated condition, by a small, electrically operated, mechanical refrigerating system incorporating freon, or by means of a portable, chest type cooler utilizing ice.
Portable camping coolers are typically of such construction that approximately 20-50 B.T.U.'s per hour of heat, depending on the ambient temperature, wall thickness, et cetera, will pass to the inside of the cooler. Conventionally, refrigerated food is maintained at a proper temperature by placing it in the cooler along with a supply of ice. When the ice melts, the cooling is discontinued and the food warms rapidly unless additional ice is supplied. A conventional electrically operated refrigerating system limits the portability because of the constant requirement for electricity.
Such coolers are substantially useless to campers who camp in remote areas not accessible to ice or electricity. Such campers have a need for a cooling unit which can be manually operated to maintain a low temperature inside the cooler. It is also important that the camper can maintain refrigerating temperatures with a minimal of effort and time otherwise, the camper will not utilize the manually operable cooler.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for cooling a container in a remote area not accessible to electrical power and ice.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable food container having a manually operated compressor.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the type described which will operate an air amplifier for cooling a heat exchanger in response to a portion of the compressed air extracted from the cooler.
Air conditioning systems conventionally available utilize a two phase refrigeration system which is relatively expensive and complicated. Conventionally, air conditioning systems utilize a refrigerant, such as freon, as one liquid phase to cool the air which is the other liquid phase. It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the type described including a compressor which extracts the air from the inside of a container, compresses the air and then passes the compressed air through a heat exchanger at a substantially constant pressure while reducing the temperature of the compressed air, expanding the air and reintroducing the cooled expanded air in the container.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the type described including a unitary compressor and expander unit in combination with a heat exchanger unit and a high flow, low suction air amplifying device for, cooling the compressed air which passes through the heat exchanger unit.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of refrigerating a portable cooler by utilizing a portion of the compressed air extracted from the cooler to provide a large flow of cooling air for reducing the temperature of the remaining compressed air as it passes through a heat exchanger.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.